


Spark

by shomel



Series: In the Dark [1]
Category: Raven's Home (TV)
Genre: F/F, My First Work in This Fandom, Rating: PG13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:55:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23747923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shomel/pseuds/shomel
Summary: When Chelsea comes home after a disappointing first date, she finds Raven in a dark apartment. The power has gone out, but the women turn the negatives into a positive, as Raven is determined to cheer up her friend.
Relationships: Raven Baxter/Chelsea Daniels
Series: In the Dark [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710700
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	Spark

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a few years ago, then found it a days ago and edited most of it. I prefer the Jablonskis to the landlord changes the show went with, so I've kept that element.
> 
> This story will continue with a part two.
> 
> This is my first shot at fanfiction, and my first time posting anything anywhere, so I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I welcome all feedback!

Raven Baxter lounged on her couch after taking a nice, long bubble bath. The relaxing bath was extra needed after the amount of effort it took to clean the tub just to take the bubble bath. Now with a bowl of popcorn in her lap and the television remote in hand, she sighed contentedly. Raven couldn’t remember the last time she had the apartment to herself. All the kids were hanging out at their friend Wally’s apartment, and her roommate and best friend, Chelsea, was on her first date since her divorce. Chelsea was hesitant and declined at first, but she had to admit that Max, the single dad they met at the grocery store, seemed really nice. And was definitely hot. Raven couldn’t wait to hear all about it.

In the meantime, she sprawled out and tried to decide which movie to watch. _Definitely something funny and mindless. But food first, s_ he thought as her stomach growled. _This popcorn isn’t going to do a thing for me._ _Hmmm . . . maybe a veggie burger._

“Damn that Chelsea getting me away from beef,” Raven grumbled as she rose from the couch. “I used to looove me some beef,” she said, smiling fondly.

“You’re talking to yourself, Raven.”

“Don’t care, nobody’s here. I can talk all I want. You hear me, house?” she yelled. “All I want! That’s right.”

Raven turned on their indoor grill and the radio and grooved to her favorite station as she seasoned the burgers, chopped potatoes, and made veggie kabobs. She spun around, singing into a wooden spoon: “ _Let’s groove tonight. Share the spice of life.”_ She made a mental note to take the family to karaoke one day. _Or, ooh, get a karaoke machine. Yeeeeah._ She nodded and smiled in satisfaction at her idea. Within twenty minutes she had all the food on the grill.

“ _The Cookout!_ That’s what I’ll watch.”

“Now what am I gonna wash this down with? she tapped her chin as she watched the burgers start to sizzle. Ooh ooh ooh, a shake! The kids are having their own fun. I’m gonna have mine.”

Raven took the chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and gathered the almond milk and vanilla extract.

“What else, what else . . . bananas!”

She had to hand it to Chelsea, bringing healthy food into the house. As much as Chelsea lacked cooking skills, Raven had to admit that there were ways to make healthier options delicious. Now she just had to get her two kids on board. Once the bananas were sliced, she moonwalked over to the grill to check on her food, flipping the burgers to cook on the other sides and licking her lips in anticipation of her meal. The smell wafting up from the grill was making her ravenous.

“I can’t wait to dig in. Mm-mm,” Raven emphasized with a dip of her hips.

Sliding back to the kitchen island, she gathered up her ingredients for her shake and poured everything into the blender and hit puree. The last thing Raven expected a few seconds later was the bright spark that shot out from the outlet. Quickly attempting to unplug the power cord, she jumped back from another spark and the sting of a shock running up her fingers, just as the house was plunged into darkness.

“No, no, no, no! Aw man! This apartment is falling apart!” _Some psychic I am!_ she thought, frustrated, putting the tingling fingers to her mouth to ease the pain. Raven had had visions since she was a child, but she’d never learned to control them, and they showed up at random, usually when she was worried about something. She hadn’t had many lately, which was probably a good thing, since in all the years of interpreting them, she was right only about 10 percent of the time. Just once she’d appreciate it if her visions would prevent her from getting electrocuted.

She felt her way to the utility drawer and pulled out a flashlight, shining it around the dark kitchen. The power in the living room had gone out as well. Getting a paper towel and standing a foot away from the outlet, she wrapped the power cord of the blender and unplugged it. She checked the grill, piercing her food with a fork, and sighed in relief, seeing that the burgers were cooked. The remaining heat should be enough to finish the rest of the food. Not wanting the veggie burgers to fall apart on the grill, she transferred them to a metal sheet and placed them back on the grill to keep warm. With nothing left to do, she shone her light in the hallway of the apartment. She was cautious, uncomfortable in the darkness. She still hadn’t quite gotten over watching the horror movie _The Elf_ with her kids.

“I should probably check the building first,” she mumbled, inching away from the dark hallway. She went outside the apartment and looked up and down the stairs and saw that the rest of the building seemed okay.

“Well, at least the kids’ night won’t be ruined. Who am I kidding? Those kids would love this! Maybe I should go to Wally’s. They wouldn’t mind. Of course, they would! No, No, Raven. You got this!”

Back in the kitchen, Raven gathered candles and matches and called the landlord, Mr. Jablonski. “Of course, I’d get his voicemail on a Saturday night. Even Mr. Jablonski has a life. Well, at least I still have my music.” She was thankful she still kept the old battery-operated radio she and her ex-husband, Devon, had from their first apartment together. She reminisced for a moment how much happier they were when they had next to nothing, than when they were more well-off. _Money really doesn’t make you happy,_ she thought. She realized now that she was feeling that happiness again. She and Chelsea were barely scraping by, raising her twins, Nia and Booker, and her son, Levi, but they were making it work, and her heart was full.

“But I’d be happier with just a little more money. Let’s be real.”

Turning up the radio, she spun around her kitchen, placing lit candles on the counters. She was right in the middle of a pop, lock, and drop when she saw a shadowy figure in the kitchen doorway. Raven screamed and dropped to the floor behind the island, reaching up to the counter for the knife she used to slice the bananas.

“Rae? Rae, is that you?”

“Chels?” Raven asked hopefully, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Yeah, Rae, it’s me. Are you okay?”

“Dangit, Chels!” Raven exclaimed as she climbed up from the floor, clinging to the island, obviously still shaken. “You scared the pants offa me.”

“Sorry, Rae. I called out, but you didn’t hear me.”

Making her way to her best friend, Raven grabbed her close, relieved that she wasn’t an intruder . . . or an evil elf.

“What happened to the lights, Rae?”

“This apartment happened, Chels. It’s trying to kill me.” She clung to her friend.

“Come on, sit down. You’re shaking.”

Chelsea eased Raven over to a stool and sat next to her, holding her hand and stroking her cheek until Raven’s breathing slowed and she calmed down.

“Better?”

Raven looked at the redhead and knew that she was a lot better. Even without the blackout, she was happy to have her best friend home.

“Yeah, Chels, I’m good now.” She squeezed her hand for emphasis. “What are you doing home already?”

“Ugh. I got stood up, Rae.” With a groan Chelsea got up and took a glass from the cabinet and poured herself some water from the fridge.

“What?? But he was so nice. Maybe something urgent came up. He’s got a kid; maybe something happened.”

“Yeah, you’re right. But he could have called. I waited at the restaurant for an hour before finally giving up.” Chelsea sagged onto the stool.

Raven rubbed her arm, hating to see her friend’s disappointment. “You okay? I know you didn’t want to put yourself out there in the first place, and I pushed you—”

“It’s not your fault, Rae. I needed the push. And besides, the guy is _hot,_ amiright?”

“Oh, _so_ hot.” The women laughed. “Well, Mr. Hotness betta have a good reason. We know where he shops. Know what I’m sayin’?”

“Yeah,” Chelsea said unsurely. She couldn’t get on board with Raven’s eagerness for vengeance just yet. “We’ll see.”

“Well, come on and help me light these candles. I don’t have much more pants to jump out of.” Raven handed Chelsea some of the candles and they went about lighting the living room.

“Is the entire apartment out?”

“I . . . umm . . . didn’t get a chance to check.”

“Do we even have any more candles?”

Raven thought for a moment. “Oh, we have the scented ones Paisley gave me every holiday instead of days off.” Raven’s old boss at the design for doggie company was, well, the worst.

“Oh noooo . . . remember the barbecue one for the Fourth of July?”

“I do. Tess was mad at us for a month for not inviting her to our barbecue. Well . . . now that think about it, I guess some good came out of it, after all.”

Chelsea chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, you get those while I change.” Grabbing the flashlight, she headed toward the bedroom they both shared.

“I’ll be right behind you,” Raven forced out. And then decided that that was indeed the safest place to be, so she hitched on to the back of Chelsea’s shirt and practically stuck to the other woman.

“Aww, Rae, need me to keep you safe?” Chelsea teased. “You want to sleep in my bed tonight?”

“Very funny, Chels.”

“Oh, Raaaaven,” Chelsea sang, easing away from her and turning off the flashlight, throwing the apartment’s hallway into darkness. “Scared?”

“Stop it, woman! That is not funny! Chels? Chels?”

Raven could hear her giggling mischievously. _Ooh, she is gonna get it when I find her._

Suddenly, a glowing and floating face that was definitely not Chelsea’s appeared a couple inches from Raven’s eyes. Raven squealed and hit the ground, tumbling backward into the living room, then bounced to her feet and into a boxing stance, bobbing and weaving.

Chelsea staggered into the living room, still clutching the African tribal mask she’d grabbed off the wall, unable to contain her laughter.

“That’s low, Chels, real low,”

“Sorry, Rae, I couldn’t resist. I just think it’s so cute how you have all this attitude, you know, but you’re so afraid of the dark.”

“Maybe I have attitude, Chels, cuz this world is scary! Ever thought of that? Like it’s scary how I can’t even trust my best friend.”

“Oh, Rae, come on.” Chelsea walked over and held her hand. “I was just having a bit of fun.”

“Well, do you feel better now? Are you at least cheered up at my expense?”

“You would think so, but no.” Chelsea sighed, slowly shaking her head. “I’m really gonna go change now, okay? _And_ get those candles. You just sit and relax.”

Raven didn’t have the heart to be mad, seeing Chelsea look so disheartened. She’d tried on about six outfits before deciding on a tucked blue blouse and a wrap skirt with bold print, looking as classy as ever. Raven was the designer, used to taking fashion risks, but Chelsea tended to be a bit more reserved. Raven knew her outfit choice tonight revealed her courage, her willingness to try something new.

Looking at the candles now flickering in the living room, Raven pictured Chelsea sitting alone in the romantic restaurant. She had to cheer her up. With something that didn’t involve her own terror. When her stomach grumbled, she remembered her food still on the grill and an idea hit her.

“So, did you even eat?” She called out to Chelsea.

“I didn’t. Do you want to order in?” Chelsea yelled back.

“No, it’s okay. I whipped up a little something.”

Raven quickly dug around in one of the drawers in the China cabinet for the tall decorative candle sticks and switched out the ones on the dining table. She grabbed two of the holiday-only plates, then rushing to the kitchen, took the food from the grill and divided everything onto the plates. It didn’t look too cold but they didn’t scream fancy, either. She pulled out the good(ish) silverware from the utensil drawer while she figured out how to dress up the meal.

“Where did you put those candles, Rae? The only power is in the bathroom and boys’ room.”

“I think they’re at the top of the closet. Way back.” That should buy some time since Raven knew she’d put them under her bed.

She pulled out a few ramekins for condiments, then got some inspiration. Barbecue. She grabbed some fresh garlic, butter, sugar, barbecue sauce, then looking around the room first to make sure she was alone, went to her secret stash for a bottle of bourbon.

She turned down the radio enough to listen for Chelsea and could hear things tumbling out of the closet. She felt a twinge of guilt and hoped that her plan would be worth it. Looking over at the dining table, she knew there was something missing. She also knew that as committed as Chelsea was, she would come out of the room soon, exasperated. Raven ran out of the apartment and down the stairs until she reached the lobby.

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

As she expected, there was the vase of freshly cut flowers that Mrs. Milner in 2D set on the entry table every weekend. She grabbed the entire vase, promising herself to replace it tomorrow, and hightailed it back to the apartment and placed it on the dining table, catching her breath just as Chelsea was turning the corner.

“Rae, they were under your bed. I saw them when I got pinned to the floor by some boxes—” Chelsea stopped short, putting her hand to her heart. “Rae, what . . .” She was speechless.

Chelsea had changed into gray sweats and a plain white t-shirt and had washed her face, removing her makeup, her skin now glistening. Raven thought she couldn’t be more beautiful than she was right then.

“Velcome,” Raven let out between taking huge breaths, “to Chez Raveen.” She swept her arm around the dining room. “I vill be . . . your host for the eeevening . . . and vaiter and chef.”

“Rae, I can’t believe you did all this.”

“Well, I figured just because one date didn’t go well tonight, doesn’t mean you can’t still have a nice one.”

Raven struggled upright and walked over to Chelsea and offered her arm. “Shall we?”

“We shall,” said Chelsea, circling Raven’s arm and smiling.

Raven led her to one of the stools at the kitchen bar. “Sit right here so you can see. There’ll be a show.”

“Ooh, a show!” Chelsea clapped excitedly.

Rushing back to the kitchen, Raven donned her apron for chef mode and quickly chopped the garlic, and in a big sauté pan, combined it with the sugar, butter, and barbecue sauce over a high flame. _Thank goodness for gas stoves._

“I love this channel,” called Chelsea with innocent glee. When she thought about it, watching Raven cook really was one of her favorite pastimes. Her passion and flare in everything she did was a sight to behold. Raven was a whirlwind, and Chelsea was thrilled to be swept up in it, in her.

“The pièce de résistance!” Raven flamboyantly poured the bourbon into the sauce and touched the pan back to the burner, and a huge flame exploded from the pan.

“Oh my god!” Chelsea shot up from seat.

“Cool, huh?” Raven nodded excitedly, extremely proud of herself.

“That is amazing. You’re amazing.”

Raven placed the now cold burgers in the pan and coated them in the sauce, warming them through. In another pan she was warming the potatoes and kabobs. With everything ready again, she plated the meals, pouring the flambéed sauce over the burgers.

“Rae, this is my favorite meal. Usually, without the fire. How did you? When did you?—”

“Well, turns out I had a craving for it tonight. I guess this is one of my favorites now too.”

“Raven Baxter, loving veggie burgers,” Chelsea joked.

“Shh, Chels! I don’t want that getting out now. Okay, let’s eat. I’m starving, and you must be too.”

Chelsea went to grab a plate and Raven slapped her hand. “Nuh-uh. I’m your vaiter, remember?” Raven ushered Chelsea out of the kitchen and removed her apron for waiter mode.

“Boy, I cannot wait to leave my yelp review. This place is fancy! . . . Are these the flowers from the lobby?”

“Here, ave some vine.” Raven thrust a bottle toward Chelsea and plunked two glasses on the table, whisking away before having to say anything more.

“Ooh 2003. A very good year.”

“Aaand, madame, dinner is served.” Raven balanced a tray with the plates, fixings, and buns she’d also warmed in the pan. With a flourish, Raven lowered their plates on the table and took her seat. 

“Raven, this looks . . . “ She couldn’t find the words. “I still can’t believe you did all this.” She grabbed Raven’s hand and put it to her cheek.

Raven found that she couldn’t find the words either. It finally happened. She was speechless. And all it took was seeing Chelsea’s happiness.

They eagerly built their burgers, and at Chelsea’s first bite, she closed her eyes, melting, her taste buds springing to life. As much as Chelsea tried to follow cookbooks and recipes, she failed drastically, but Raven got her cooking skills from her chef dad. And among all the perks that came with living with her, delicious food was definitely in the top five.

Raven hadn’t realized until that moment that she was holding her breath, waiting for her friend’s approval. Now, she could eat.

The women chatted and laughed over dinner, at first being reserved, so used to having their three kids around. Four if you counted Tess. And one always had to count Tess. The conversation then turned candid and they reminisced about all the fun they had in college and in their twenties. Their travels and adventures. They were thrown back to more carefree days, when the most stress they had was what to wear on a first date or what grade they got on an exam. They opened up about their insecurities as parents and women, which led to their ex-husbands and things they wished were different. But both Raven and Chelsea came to the conclusion that no matter what circumstances brought them there, they couldn’t regret anything because they were happy now. And their kids were happy. Levi and Booker had a brother in each other, and Nia had a fellow eco-activist in Chelsea. And Tess was just happy to have them all around. Or just happy to push Raven’s buttons.

They were having so much fun that it took Chelsea a while to notice that Raven was taking food from her plate instead of her own.

“Rae, you know the same food is on _your_ plate, right?”

“I know, Chels, but yours tastes better.”

Chelsea looked at her confused. “Did you make them differently?”

“No, but you know how someone else’s food always tastes better?”

“Rae, that’s ridiculous.” Chelsea used her fork and tried a piece of potato from Raven’s plate. She exclaimed. “Oh, my god, how is that possible?”

“See?”

The women laughed and comfortably ate from each other’s plates.

“The wine is . . . great . . . but you know what I could go for right now? A milkshake.”

“Chocolate? With bananas and almond milk? Pureed just right?”

“Yes! Wait, did you have a vision?” she exclaimed, placing a hand on Raven’s thigh. At some point they’d inched close enough to each other for their legs to be touching.

“I don’t need visions when I know you so well, Chels.” A familiar warmth spread through her as she stared into the other woman’s eyes, warm and smiling. “I could have used a vision about the blender, though. Because that’s exactly how the power went out.”

“What??”

“I was making that exact shake and the outlet short-circuited and voila, shakaggeddon.”

“Let me see,” Chelsea said, getting up.

“No, no, this is your night. I got this. Sit.”

Raven went into the kitchen and inspected the contents of the blender. She turned over the jug and the shake stood still, thick as foam. She grabbed the milk and added a bit more and took the wooden spoon to the jug, stirring furiously.

“Rae, you’ve done so much already. I don’t need—”

“It’s okay, Chels.” she said, grimacing, using all her might to turn the thick liquid. “Almost . . . there. Coming . . . right . . . up.”

Chelsea watched Raven run around the kitchen, grabbing tools and using them on the shake, and couldn’t help but smile. Her friend always knew how to cheer her up.

The shake had thinned out some, but not enough for two glasses. She could give it all to Chelsea, but she already knew that Chelsea’s generous nature wouldn’t accept that. Raven removed the jug from the blender and grabbed two different color straws from the jar they kept for the kids. Problem solved.

Raven placed the jug between them and waited for Chelsea to take a sip.

“How is it?”

Chelsea looked her best friend in the eyes. “Perfect. You saved it.”

“Good. Cuz I almost died for it, you know.”

“What??”

“Shocked me right to my core. My weave stood on end and everything. Just pfftttt.” Raven acted out how she was electrocuted earlier and as bad as Chelsea felt for her best friend, she couldn’t help doubling over with laughter.

This gave Raven another idea.

“Hey, Chels, I know you were supposed to do dinner and a movie on your date. We can’t watch a movie, but . . . come with me.”

Chelsea allowed Raven to lead her to the couch. She then watched in complete and utter amazement as Raven started to act out the scenes to her favorite movie, _The Sound of Music._ Before long, Chelsea joined her and they were singing and dancing to “My Favorite Things.” A few songs later they were falling on the couch in stitches. They sat in silence for a moment, catching their breaths.

“That worked out a lot better in my head. How did we do that when we were younger?”

“That’s the operative word: younger.”

“Nuh uh, Chels, we are as young as we feel.”

“So, sixty?”

“Well, the _night_ is young and this is my _jam_.” Raven got up and started to swing her hips to the song on the radio, pulling Chelsea up and leading her to the open area behind the couch.

“I do love his song.”

“Uh huh. Let’s see if you still got it.”

“Oh, I still got it.” Chelsea shook her own hips and they started doing the bump and dancing back to back, dropping it low, just like in the old days.

“Okay, okay, you got it, you got it.” Raven said proudly. But my knees don’t, though, Chels. They don’t got it. Help me up. Help me up.”

“You okay, Rae?” Chelsea asked as she helped Raven stand upright.

“This is more like it,” Raven said as a slow song came on. “Whoo.” She held out her hand to Chelsea. “No proper date is complete without a slow dance.”

Chelsea took her hand. “Is that right?”

“Dating 101, Chels.”

Raven put her arm around Chelsea’s waist and pulled her in. Chelsea’s cheek rested against hers, and Raven could smell the coconut from the conditioner she used and the faint smell of the lavender perfume she wore on her date. Instinctively, she pulled her in closer. Chelsea’s hand went from Raven’s shoulder and wrapped around her neck. The fingers of their other hands were entangled and close to Raven’s heart, which Chelsea could feel racing. Raven could feel Chelsea’s breath tingling her skin.

“Rae, I’m glad I got stood up. I would never have had this much fun. In fact, this may have been my best date, ever.”

“Well, I am the queen of dates.”

“Chelsea playfully nudged her friend in the chest.”

“Owwww.”

Chelsea could feel Raven smiling against her cheek.

“Sorry I scared you earlier, Rae.”

“Which time, Chels?”

“You know, with the mask in the dark hallway, when you screamed and fell, again.”

“Okay, okay, yes, I remember!” Raven sighed. “I know I can be a little dramatic.”

“You? Nooo,” Chelsea exclaimed sarcastically.

Now it was Raven’s turn to poke her friend.

“Just so you know, Rae, I will always protect you.”

“And I will always be there for you, Chels.”

They danced in silence, squeezing each other just a bit tighter, lost in their own thoughts. Disappointed when a faster song started, the two hesitated, seeing if the other would pull away, but found that neither could.

“Rae, our earrings are hooked together, aren’t they?”

“Yep.”

Raven and Chelsea stayed just like that, dancing to their now steady heartbeats, ignoring the radio, each fully aware of the shift in the air. They had always been close, but at that moment, their connection was electric.

“Chels?” Raven said tremulously.

“Yeah, Rae?” Chelsea whispered against her ear.

But Raven never got a chance to finish because as kids are wont to do, theirs flung open the front door and barged in just at that precise moment.

“What’s going on?” Levi asked.

“Hugs! Exclaimed Booker, and led the others in a big group hug around their mothers’ waists. Raven and Chelsea couldn’t help but smile. As much fun as tonight had been, they were happy to see their excited children.

Raven and Chelsea unhooked their earrings and hugged them all.

“Hey, Miss B. Miss G.”

“Hey, Tess,” they said in unison. Their eyes met over the kids’ heads and they held each other’s gaze, smiling.

“Thank you,” Chelsea mouthed.

“Anytime,” Raven mouthed back.

“Hey, Mom, Aunt Chels,” Nia said, quizzically. “What happened to the lights?”

“This apartment happened, Nia. The blender broke the lights.”

“Horror movie time!” Booker yelled.

“Awwww . . . the tv is out too. That is just too bad.” Raven shrugged and pouted. “The only power is in your room and the bathroom.”

“To the Book-cave!” Booker exclaimed with his arms spread wide as wings, flying off with the other kids in tow.

“Hey, it’s my room too, you know!” Levi protested.

“Yeah, but the Boovi-cave doesn’t sound as cool, bruh.”

“Why does it smell like barbecue back here?” Tess asked.

“So,” Chelsea eyed Raven teasingly. “Should we try the fuse box or have the kids stay in that room for as long as possible?”

“Ooh.” Raven thought out loud, head cocked to the side. “That should not be such a hard choice . . . Wait, you know where the fuse box is?”

“Yeah, it’s right next to the intercom.”

“We have an intercom??”

Chelsea walked Raven through the circuit breakers in the fuse box, indicating which ones had likely tripped. They flipped each switch, checking rooms for power before moving on to the next switch.

“Why didn’t we just do this in the first place? We coulda set the place on fire with all these candles. Not to mention my flambé.”

“Well, like I said, you’re cute when you’re scared,” Chelsea said mischievously. “Besides, with the power on, we probably would’ve just sat on the couch watching _The Cookout_ or something.

Raven looked up, startled. _And_ I’m _supposed to be the psychic!_ “I have to admit this was a lot more fun.”

The women hummed and bounced around as they worked.

“Let me get some tape to label these so we don’t have to go through this again.”

“Good idea, Chels.” Raven stared in wonder at all the power at their fingertips. _We really can keep the kids in their rooms whenever we want to._

Chelsea’s phone rang as she rummaged through the kitchen drawer where the tape should be but never was. Chelsea hesitated at the name. Max. She wanted to be upset but she really did hope he was okay.

“Hello, Max.” She tried as much indifference as she could muster.

“Chelsea, I am so sorry! I got held up—”

“Well, you could have called—”

“No, I mean I got held up. By gunpoint.”

“Oh my god! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine now. I was getting you flowers for our date, and two guys held up the store. Then a cop car parked across the street at the Dunkin Donuts, so the robbers couldn’t leave. I just got out. You were the first person I called. Well, after the cops.”

“Are you hurt?? Is everyone okay?

“No one got hurt, thank goodness. I’m okay, really. Just sorry that I missed our first date. Fair warning, though, you probably won’t be getting flowers from me for a while, unless I grow them myself.”

Chelsea’s mind was spinning. She had all but written this man off, thinking that being stood up was a sign that she wasn’t ready to date again. Or that he just wasn’t the right person. But here he was, sweet, considerate, nature-loving, and interested. And _so_ hot.

“So what do you say? Can I make this up to you?”

Two hours ago it would have been an easy answer. Two hours ago she thought she needed something more to make her life complete. She looked at the table with the empty plates and jug with two straws, the borrowed(?) flowers, the mess they’d made of the couch cushions singing and dancing to “Sixteen Going On Seventeen.” Listened to the kids yelling at one another as they played a video game. _Is that Raven?_ Okay, Raven and the kids yelling as they played a video game.

“Max, I . . .” Even as she spoke she didn’t know what to say. “Something happened tonight. Not like what happened to you. That was insane. It’s just . . . I may not be ready . . . which has absolutely nothing to do with you,” she added quickly. “I just need to take some time.”

“Oh. Umm . . . Are you sure?”

“No, I’m not. But I want to be before I say yes again.”

“Okay, well, call me if you change your mind. Or if you want me to help you change your mind. Anytime.”

“Thanks, Max. I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Take care, Chelsea.”

“Bye, Max.”

She hung up, uncertain of her decision, but knowing that she was happy her date with him hadn’t worked out. But not knowing what that meant.

“If you’re still looking for the tape, it’s in the boys’ room,” Raven said as the entered, looking quite satisfied.

“You win?”

“They didn’t stand a chance.” Raven tugged on the collars of her pajama top, strutting. She noticed the phone still in Chelsea’s hand. “Everything okay?”

“It is. It’s more than okay. You ready?”

“Yep! But Chels, we’re going to have to do it all over again cuz I’ve already forgotten which lights go to which fuse.”

“Okay, well this time let’s do it right. Before leaving the kitchen, Chelsea turned up the radio.”

“Oh, this is my _jam_!” Raven and Chelsea danced down the hallway hand in hand, singing over the noise of their kids.

_“Sisters are doin’ it for themselves . . .”_


End file.
